Results 25,621-25,640 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continued to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. Budget 2018 provided for an additional 1280 teaching posts in the 2018/19 school year. This includes a one point improvement in the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Supply (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Earlier this year I established the Teacher Supply Steering Group, which is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department. The Group is considering the issues that relate to teacher supply, including: initial teacher education policy, provision, funding and support; data/research requirements; policies and arrangements for schools and teachers that impact on teacher mobility/supply; and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the pre-Budget 2019 submission referred to by the Deputy and can confirm that while it would cost approximately €17.6 million to restore capitation to pre-2011 levels for Primary Schools, the overall cost of restoring capitation funding for all sectors is circa €35.6 million. However, I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas Riachtanas Speisialta (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Tá tús curtha leis an bpróiseas chun comhaltaí de chuid Chomhairle Náisiúnta um oideachas Speisialta nua a cheapadh/a athcheapadh do 2019 go 2022. Beidh Cathaoirleach agus 12 ghnáthchomhalta ar an gComhairle Náisiúnta um oideachas Speisialta, 6 fear ar a laghad agus 6 mban ar a laghad. Ceapfar comhaltaí Chomhairle Náisiúnta um...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs. Where a school uses the capitation grant funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 to 143, inclusive, together. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Commission (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. As a result of these changes, from 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher will be €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that works commenced on site for the school building project in question in June 2018. The project is expected to take approximately 27 months to complete.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board who is Patron of the school. The Stage 1 stakeholders meeting was scheduled to take place in the Department's offices in December, 2017. This meeting was cancelled at the request of the Patron. My Department is meeting with the ETB shortly to discuss the progression of a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (3 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved funding for an Additional Accommodation Scheme project in April 2018. My Department has not received any subsequent application from the school seeking an increase in the funding approved. The School Authority should submit details of the circumstances giving rise to the increased costs supported by a report from the Design Consultant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. The issue of road safety measures in general in the road network outside the area of vested school sites such as road signage, traffic calming measures, car parking and pedestrian facilities are the responsibility in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. As a result of these changes, since 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher is now €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 to 92, inclusive, together. This government is committed to ensuring every child with special educational needs has the opportunity to fulfil their full potential. Funding for special education provision in 2018 will amount to some €1.75 billion, up 43% since 2011 and equivalent to 18.7% of the gross overall current allocation for education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My aim for Budget 2019, as it has been in previous years, is to progressively deliver on the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Education, in the Programme for a Partnership Government and in the Confidence and Supply Arrangement and to meet demographic and demand pressures, which can have significant resource implications. It is in that context that I will formulate my specific...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school referred to is included in my Department's Capital Programme. In that regard a technical site visit was carried out by my Department at the school's current site with a view to developing the project brief. My Department will continue to liaise with the school authority in respect of the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Status (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. DEIS Plan 2017 states that the improved data on the socio-demographic of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Supports (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware under Action 88 of DEIS Plan 2017 the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and Tusla committed to review the current provision for out-of-school education to inform future supports in this area. This review will assist in the development of a plan for a successful interagency approach to supporting groups such as children and young people who have disengaged or are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: A set out in the response to Parliamentary Question no. 281 of September 2018, it was estimated that an overall budget of €2.3m would be required in 2018 to implement a range of actions in the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The cost for the allocation of additional teaching hours to primary and post-primary schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme from...